YOUR SOURCE FOR TREATED WOOD PRODUCTS

Lumber, plywood, round stock, poles, pilings. Agency stamped, preservative treated, fire retardant wood products.

Charles Thompson, Miguel Gutierrez, Shawn Kelley

The field staff can provide simple engineering on the job or transmit more detailed design needs to the office technical staff for further calculations. This information can then be turned around quickly and sent back to the builder's hands right away.

J.M. Thomas expanded its services in May of last year by adding a new will-call sales center in Salt Lake City.

"This helps bring a bigger inventory and faster availability to Salt Lake area customers," said Crossley. "Because of our 'missionary work' with architects, engineers, designers and other specifiers, we've been able to take construction plans that specified steel framing and convert them to glulam beams."

The company sponsored training sessions for retail contract salesman in January and also conducted classes in computer software for engineered wood.

Al Lingen of Butterfield Lumber, Salt Lake City, reports, "We're seeing more glulams specified in the blueprints sent to our yard."

Lingen says that the demand remains strong for glulams because "they are an engineered beam with more stability, and consistent target sizes."

Butterfield has also added field representatives to answer engineered wood questions in the field.

Many of Butterfield's builder customers order glulams for exposed ridge beams in cathedral type ceilings of custom mountain homes.

Darrel Garrett of Colonial Builders Supply, Centerville,

GLULAMS are proving a popular ingredient in construction for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Ut.,

Ut., agrees that glulam beams are in demand these days. "We're not selling many solid sawn beams any more, because they've been replaced by glulam beams," Garrett noted.

Colonial Builders Supply owner Fred Hale says that builders like glulam headers and ridge beams because they are kiln-dried and stable, helping to eliminate warping, twisting, checking and call backs.

Colonial makes a point of reaching out to its contractor base with special events such as a customer apprecial.ion breakfast each May, that attracts up to 500 builders.

Interviews with other Western retailers points to additional reasons for glulams popularity:

. once a builder begins to use glulam beams, they usually continue with laminated products rather than going back to solid sawn framing methods;

. with more complex roofs, larger doors, windows, and other wall openings in upscale houses, glulams are more preferred over solid sawn lumber because of their strength; glulams mean fewer call back and claims due to their kiln dried (127o m.c.) structure that helps eliminate shrinkage at thejob site: glulams are competitive for headers because their one-piece construction avoids any need to nail pieces of LVL together at the job site, and

. engineered wood software, tech- nical literature and training expertise are available from trade associations and manufacturers.

Distribution Technology Meet

NxTrend Technology, Colorado Springs, Co., is inviting principal-level management in distribution companies to attend its fourth annual executive retreat April 2l-23 at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson, Az.

Speakers include Bruce Merrifield, discussing ways to increase distributor ROI four to six times and start growing two to five times faster than their industry, and Art Turock, author of Inventing New Business Opportunities No One Can Imagine.

Other presentations will cover customer service, e-marketing. transaction management, and time management for leaders, plus focus group sessions on NxTrend products, motivating employees, sales and marketing, and economic repositioning.

"We gather the best and the brightest from the top ranks of distribution companies, technology gurus, and industry consultants," said Joel Kremke, NxTrend v.p.-sales and marketing. "With that powerful mix of experience, ability and raw brain power, new insight and inspiration are a given. It's the one event no dealer or distributor can afford to miss this year."

PAC PACIFIC WESTERN LUMBER. INC. t[/Es7

. Dowels: 3"-7" Agricultural & Furniture Grades

. Log Home and Timber Framing Appearance Grade Douglas Fir Beams, both Green and Dry

. Dowels, Porch Posts, Hand Rails and Decorative Posts up to 12"

. 4x4 KD Hem-Fir Appearance

Lathed Turned and Coped Logs

7" lo 12" diameter

8' to 16' lengths

Fractional Cuttings

Home Depot's Rosy New Partner

Home Depot was an official materials supplier of the News Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Ca., partnering with float builder Phoenix Decorating Co.

As part of the partnership, Phoenix built a 55-foot parade float for Home Depot that celebrated the American dream of home ownership.

During the float building process, Phoenix used plywood, wire fencing, plastic foam, glue, live goods and some flowers from Home Depot.

The partnership between the companies will extend beyond the annual New Year's Day parade.

"By selecting Phoenix," said West Coast division mgr.

Bruce Merino, "we not only chose the industry leader, but found a new business-to-business partner with a large appetite for products available in our stores."

Nearly three-quarters of the materials needed to build a float are found at a typical Home Depot home center. The cost of an average float is between $60'000 and $300,000'

Lumberman Warns Log Or Face Fires

Ochoco Lumber Co., Prineville, Or., is urging forest officials to open up logging in Oregon's Deschutes National Forest or face potentially disastrous forest fires.

Ochoco executive John Morgan stated in a December letter that only the logging of both small and large trees will preserve public safety.

"Man has to intervene with sound management activities to not allow a catastrophic fire to occur," Morgan wrote. "Commercial thinning is extremely important-don't walk away and not treat these areas."

Environmentalists contend that logging l7 million bd. ft. is not in the best interests of the forest, endangered animals or the public.

Ochoco has proposed closing l5 campsites near the popular reservoir and allowing it to bid on a logging contract. The area has become a hotbed for recreation over the last few years. Nearly I15,000 people camped at area campgrounds from April to September during the 2000 season.

The Forest Service has acknowledged that densely fbrested areas do create the potential for wildfires, yet has not agreed to any logging plans.

Forest Service officials are currently including Ochoco's comments into a final environmental assessment that is due out later this year.